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Tsunami warning cancelled

Kodiak Island, Alaska (KINY) The National Weather Service cancelled a Tsunami warning just hours after it was first announced when waves failed to show up at Alaska coastal communities.

Officials with the US Geological Survey said the earthquake originally measured at a magnitude of 8.2 This caused a warning to be issued by the National Tsunami Center for coastal Alaska and Canada's British Columbia. At one point the U.S West Coast was under a watch. The magnitude was later reduced to 7.9. Watches were also cancelled for Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii.

The Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said there were no reports of any property damage from the incident. The Tsunami warning was issued at 12:30 am and was released at 3:30 am.

The strong earthquake hit at 12:30 a.m. and was recorded about 170 miles southeast of Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska. Kodiak Island is located about 200 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, which was not under a tsunami threat.

Reports varied about how long the shaking lasted. In the popular cruise ship town of Seward, about 230 miles northeast of Kodiak Island, there were reports that the shaking lasted for 90 seconds.

"Warnings from the National Weather Service sent to cellphones in Alaska warned: "Emergency Alert. Tsunami danger on the coast. Go to high ground or move inland."

Kodiak officials warned residents to evacuate if they lived in low-lying areas. Residents scrambled to safety, and some sought refuge in schools that were transformed into shelters.

The city of Kodiak was projected to see the first wave about an hour after the quake, but 90 minutes after the quake, there was no report of any waves.

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